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QB Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons
HT: 6-4, WT: 228, Born: 5-17-1985, College: Boston College, Drafted: Round 1, Pick 3
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2009 Projections
| CMP | ATT | PYD | Y/A | PTD | INT | RSH | YD | Y/R | TD | FPT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Dodds | 292 | 464 | 3517 | 7.6 | 22 | 15 | 50 | 105 | 2.1 | 1 | 272 |
| Bob Henry | 286 | 460 | 3528 | 7.7 | 23 | 13 | 50 | 115 | 2.3 | 1 | 283 |
| Jason Wood | 300 | 480 | 3695 | 7.7 | 22 | 13 | 40 | 65 | 1.6 | 1 | 281 |
| Maurile Tremblay | 279 | 462 | 3469 | 7.5 | 19 | 14 | 45 | 90 | 2.0 | 1 | 255 |
Average draft position
Current as of September 7th. [Full ADP list]
Overall: D Ward (60), D Jackson (61), Matt Ryan (62), S Holmes (63), A Bryant (64)Position: T Romo (40-QB7), D McNabb (50-QB8), Matt Ryan (62 - QB9), M Schaub (67-QB10), J Cutler (70-QB11)
Click here for a comparison of these players.
PPR Average draft position
Current as of September 7th. [Full PPR ADP list]
Overall: L Evans (69), C Wells (70), Matt Ryan (71), M Schaub (72), C Cooley (73)Position: D McNabb (49-QB8), J Cutler (66-QB9), Matt Ryan (71 - QB10), M Schaub (72-QB11), C Palmer (77-QB12)
Click here for a comparison of these players.
Click here to go to the Matt Ryan spotlight, our staff's most detailed analysis.
Best Case
Matt Ryan has the potential to be an elite passer, and the addition of TE Tony Gonzalez might put the Falcons' offense on a par with the best units in the NFL. With a year of experience under his belt, Ryan's confidence and comfort level will be high from Day 1.
Worst Case
As we saw with Jeremy Shockey in New Orleans last season, team chemistry is a funny thing that can backfire even when a Pro Bowl level talent like Gonzalez is involved. Ryan could fail to improve if Gonzalez flounders or even throw less (the Falcons' rushing attack is pretty awesome). If Roddy White were to miss some time due to injury, there isn't another top-tier receiver on the squad that could fill in.
Outlook
Ryan exploded onto the scene last year, leading the Falcons to the playoffs. He had one of the most impressive rookie seasons in history, completing 61 percent of his passes for 3,440 yards and 16 TDs. The team has added Gonzalez at the TE position, boasts Roddy White and Michael Jenkins at WR, and has a good pass-catching back in Jerious Norwood. Ryan has a wide array of targets that should allow him to far exceed last year's 16th-place fantasy ranking.
Relevant Articles
Training Camp Update - Volume 5, Issue 5 - September 2ndFrom the Gut part 1 - Quarterbacks - August 29th
The Perfect Draft (12-team PPR League - WCOFF Format) - August 29th
Undervalued QBs - August 28th
Overvalued QBs - August 28th
Training Camp Update - Volume 5, Issue 4 - August 26th
Training Camp Update - Volume 5, Issue 3 - August 19th
Training Camp Update - Volume 5, Issue 2 - August 12th
Matt Ryan Spotlight - August 7th
Message board spotlight thread - August 7th
Training Camp Update - Volume 5, Issue 1 - August 6th
From the Gut - August 4th
Footballguys Daily Email - Volume 10, Issue 96 - July 24th
What Makes RBs and QBs Consistent? - July 20th
Footballguys Daily Email - Volume 10, Issue 92 - July 20th
Footballguys Daily Email - Volume 10, Issue 60 - June 18th
Quarterback Tiers - May 28th
Footballguys Daily Email - Volume 10, Issue 21 (Sunday, May 10th) - May 10th
Footballguys Daily Email - Volume 10, Issue 19 (Friday, May 8th) - May 8th
Why he is undervalued
according to one of our writers (based on an ADP of 61, QB 9 on June 7 --- go here for the complete article)Mike Brown - What do you get for the rookie quarterback who just completed possibly the finest first year campaign any rookie QB ever has? Why, a Hall of Fame tight end of course! Seriously people, this Atlanta offense has the potential to be scary good. And with Ryan at the helm, the question isn't if they'll improve. The question is by how much. With the running game being one of the league's best, and with two of the top receiving options in the entire NFL in Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez, Ryan should make a run at a top-5 finish.
Why he is overvalued
according to three of our writers (based on an ADP of 61, QB 9 on June 7 --- go here for the complete article)Andy Hicks - Matt Ryan surprised everyone with his play in 2008, but still only ranked 16th as a fantasy option. Expecting him to develop into a fantasy starter this season is presumptuous. Not only will Ryan have to improve significantly to get those fantasy points needed to elevate him to being worthy of a 5th to 6th round pick, Atlanta will need to move away from the domination of the running game. Don't be fooled by the addition of Tony Gonzalez, it's too big a risk to use Ryan as your fantasy starter. Let someone else regret that choice.
Jeff Tefertiller - Yes, Ryan had a very good rookie campaign. He led the Falcons to an unbelievable season. But, his fantasy stats were still mediocre. To draft Ryan as the QB8 off the board is taking a huge gamble with so many other capable passers available. The Falcons will still want to establish the run with Michael Turner leading the way. Considering his ADP, Matt Ryan has little upside and a lot of downside for a player taken in the top of the sixth round. Mark Wimer - Matt Ryan led his team to the playoffs last season during his rookie campaign, and looks like the best young QB to enter the league since Peyton Manning. However, Ryan plays on a very run-oriented offense (the Falcons rushed the ball 504 times last season, over 31 times a game on average, vs. 434 passes attempted) - even the addition of Tony Gonzalez isn't likely to change the offensive mix enough to vault Ryan into the Top 10 among fantasy QBs (he may be one of the 10 best NFL QBs by year's end, but that is different than being a Top 10 fantasy QB).Latest News
Falcons | Ryan throws two INTs Week 10 (Sun Nov 15, 05:03 PM) - The Associated Press reports Atlanta Falcons QB Matt Ryan went 22-for-41 for 221 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions in Week 10. He has thrown 12 interceptions this season after throwing only 11 the entire 2008 season. link to story2009 Schedule
| Week | Opponent |
|---|---|
| 1 | Miami Dolphins |
| 2 | Carolina Panthers |
| 3 | at New England Patriots |
| Bye week | |
| 5 | at San Francisco 49ers |
| 6 | Chicago Bears |
| 7 | at Dallas Cowboys |
| 8 | at New Orleans Saints |
| 9 | Washington Redskins |
| 10 | at Carolina Panthers |
| 11 | at New York Giants |
| 12 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| 13 | Philadelphia Eagles |
| 14 | New Orleans Saints |
| 15 | at New York Jets |
| 16 | Buffalo Bills |
| 17 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
2008 Game Summaries
Week 1 - The Boston College rookie made one of the more memorable debuts in NFL history when his first pass attempt resulted in a 62 yard touchdown. He was only called on the throw 13 passes in the game, but he made the most of his opportunities, completing nine for 161 yards, one touchdown, and a QB rating of 137.0.
While Detroit did not present much of a challenge, Ryan was quietly efficient and seemed to settle into his role. As long as the running game stays strong he won't need to put up big numbers, but he looked to be capable of hitting receivers whenever he wanted.
Week 2 - Matt Ryan ran into the first real defense of his rookie year and the results of his stat line show what you would expect from a rookie quarterback going into Tampa Bay for the first time in his career. Ryan threw for 158 yards on 13 of 33 passing, zero touchdowns and two interceptions. He also had six rushing attempts for ten yards. While Ryan remained poised throughout the game and was able to keep the Falcons close, he still had too many costly mistakes. Ryan started the game zero of eight with two interceptions, and the Buccaneers turned that into an early 10-0 lead. The Falcons had their chances, but the pressure from Tampa Bay and their inability to run the ball were too much for Ryan and Atlanta to overcome.
Week 3 - Ryan showed exceptional poise throughout the game, running an efficient albeit run heavy Falcons offense. No sacks, no interceptions, no mistakes of any kind. The emphasis on -- and overall success of -- the ground game helped him immensely as the KC defense had no choice but to key on the run. When he did drop back to pass, he had plenty of time to find his man, notably on a deep pass to Roddy White that became a 70 yard score.
Week 4 - Ryan was forced to put the ball in the air a career high 41 times as Atlanta was unable to establish much success on the ground. Ryan showed good composure, but is not at the stage of his career where he can carry the Falcon offense. Ryan looked good when the Falcons surprised the Panthers by going to the no-huddle offense during their second drive. He efficiently managed the team by mixing in runs and short passes and led the Falcons to a field goal. Afterwards, Atlanta curiously ran very little no huddle until late in the game.
Ryan showed good arm strength, but most of his passes were relatively conservative. His longest completion went for 23 yards. Ryan's second attempt of the game was nearly catastrophic; it was intercepted and returned 29 yards for a touchdown by Richard Marshall, but the play was negated by a roughing the passer penalty on Julius Peppers.
Week 5 - Ryan was sharp in the first half as he finished the first two quarters completing 13 of 18 passes for 154 yards and two touchdowns. He capped the team's initial drive of the game by hitting TE Justin Peelle for a one yard touchdown pass. His second scoring strike came on a play in which he threw a beautiful ball down the sidelines that went for a 22 yard touchdown to WR Roddy White. Despite the good first half, the quarterback had a quiet second half as he completed only three passes for 40 yards with one pick. On the interception, he had a wide open receiver in the end zone with the team operating from the Packers' 12 yard line, but the ball was late coming out and the Packers defender made a one handed catch for the turnover.
Week 6 - Ryan completed 22 of 30 passes for 301 yards and a touchdown. Ryan looked composed against a tough pass rush, often buying himself time with great pocket presence. His touchdown came on a three yard slant to his favorite target, Roddy White. Ryan had another 14 yard touchdown nullified by penalty, when White was called for offensive pass interference. Ryan showed great touch on many of his throws, while also proving he could get the ball deep down the field. By the way he played, if you didn't know him, you would certainly think he was a veteran.
Week 8 - Ryan had a very good game despite the constant pressure and blitzing. The Falcons did a good job mixing the play calling up with screens and other routes that allowed Ryan to throw on three step drops. Ryan was impressive in leading team back late in the fourth quarter to make a game of it. Ryan and receiver Roddy White continue to work on their comfort level with each other. They obviously had the two touchdowns on the day, but of note, White was the targeted receiver on both of Ryan's interceptions on the day. The second interception was a poor throw by the rookie quarterback as he woefully under threw the fade route in the red zone. It was a costly mistake.
Week 9 - It's easy to forget that Ryan is just a rookie. His first four Atlanta drives resulted in scores including two touchdown passes to Michael Jenkins. Throughout the game, Ryan had his choice of targets running wide open through the Oakland secondary and spread the ball around to eight different receivers. More importantly, he didn't lose focus when his team had a big lead. In the fourth quarter, when his coach wanted him to call a time out, Ryan waited until the play clock had run down to :02 seconds before signaling to the ref. It's called "situational awareness," a trait found in all great quarterbacks.
Week 10 - Matt Ryan was efficient against the Saints defense, completing ten of 13 passes in the first half against a depleted front seven. He faced little pressure from the Saints linemen, not getting sacked and having ample time to find his open receivers. The Falcons used a balanced attack to keep the defense off balance and did not put Ryan into any difficult situations where he could make mistakes. He concentrated on getting the ball to his receivers early as five of his first six attempts went to wide outs.
Week 11 - QB Matt Ryan continues his impressive rookie campaign despite the home loss. Despite the one interception, he played well and scrambled successfully when necessary. Ryan has a good feel for the pocket and when to move to avoid defenders. He nearly hit WR Roddy White for a score on third and eighteen on the team's last drive but White was unable to hold on and the team failed to make the comeback.
Week 12 - Despite failing to throw a touchdown, Matt Ryan led the Falcons to a 17 point victory in the division matchup. Ryan completed 63% of his passes for an average gain of 9.6 yards per attempt without any interceptions. Ryan was accurate on both short and deep passes, completing eight passes for gains of at least fifteen yards, highlighted by a deep out to rookie Harry Douglas which Douglas made a great play en route to a 69 yard gain. Ryan maintains a 5:1 touchdown to interception ratio and a 107.1 passer rating at home.
Week 13 - Ryan did an excellent job of taking what the San Diego defense gave to him. He didn't force anything, was never close to turning the ball over, and was given loads of time by his offensive line to pick apart the San Diego secondary at will. About the only blemish on his afternoon was when he missed a wide open Michael Jenkins in the back of the end zone for what should have been an easy score. The ball was overthrown, and incomplete.
On the touchdown passes he did throw, he did a very nice job of reading what was in front of him. The pass to TE Justin Peelle was one of the best passes a quarterback has made this season, as he floated it perfectly over the back line of the defense but just in front of the defensive backs. On the touchdown to Harry Douglas, he was given all day to throw and showed good patience in waiting for Douglas to finish his route and the San Diego defenders to clear out.
Week 14 - Matt Ryan showed the poise of a veteran quarterback in trying to lead the Falcons to victory in a venue that they have not won in since 2002. His coaches are showing faith in him by letting him run a no huddle offense during certain situations. He rarely faced pressure from the Saints defense, but when he did he was able to scramble around outside the pocket and would pull up just a yard or two from the line of scrimmage and connect with a receiver downfield. That ability played a hand in his touchdown run as the defenders were expecting him to pull up and throw the ball instead of continuing to run downfield. On two occasions he made plays that most quarterbacks would not make by rifling passes to receivers who were well covered, and somehow getting the ball past the defender. He has a nice touch on short passes, as seen on his lone touchdown pass that was thrown high and to a spot where only his receiver could catch it. Ryan was only victimized by two dropped passes, but each of them had the potential for long gains. His only bad pass came on his interception, the pass was bad and the defensive back was able to jump the route and intercept the pass to give the Saints excellent field position for their only touchdown drive in the first half.
Week 15 - While Matt Ryan's stat line didn't show big numbers, he displayed the poise and promise so many observers have seen in the rookie quarterback. He finished 15 of 23 for 206 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions, but showed his strong arm and creativity in the passing game throughout the game. Ryan also contributed 19 yards rushing on six attempts, including a big three yard scramble on third and three that helped keep the game winning drive alive in overtime. Ryan did have two fumbles, but both were recovered by the Falcons.
Week 16 - This was a ball control game for Atlanta. They didn't need to throw the ball and needed to chew time off the clock. Minnesota lost four fumbles and this provided Atlanta the ability to run the ball. Ryan did miss a few targets today. The Minnesota defensive backs knocked many passes down. Ryan barely achieved above 50% completions. The pressure was very intense and that seemed to be when Ryan would miss the target.
Week 17 - While Ryan will get many votes for rookie of the year his QB rating of 49.8 in this game was disappointing. Two uncharacteristically bad throws resulted in interceptions and he only completed 10 of 21 passes for 160 yards. While Turner and Norwood rushed for 263 yards, and three touchdowns, all Ryan really had to do was hand the ball off all afternoon.
Week 18 - Ryan started off slowly. His first pass of the game was intercepted and he completed just one of his first four attempts for 11 yards. After Arizona jumped out 14--3, Ryan hit 17 of 24 for 130 yards, one TD, and a 17--14 first half lead. While he showed flashes of poise and promise he still made too many rookie mistakes. After Arizona scored on a long, clock killing drive in the third quarter he immediately threw an interception which put the tired Falcon defense back on the field. He rallied his team late and threw a short touchdown pass to Roddy White with about 4:00 minutes left in the game.
In the last four regular season games Ryan threw five interceptions after just six in his first 12 games. This was his third straight game of throwing for less than 200 yards after a streak of nine straight games of at least 207.
